An Intercomparison Programme is being carried out in Argentina for individual monitoring services. The programme was designed to test, on a voluntary basis, the performance of the laboratories that provide individual monitoring services for X and gamma radiation fields in the range from low-level dose up to 100 mSv. Irradiations were performed in full accordance with ISO 4037-3 recommendations by the Regional Reference Centre for Dosimetry (CRRD), belonging to Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and the Physical Dosimetry Laboratory of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN). At the same time, several items have been asked to each participant pertaining to the action range, the detectors' characteristics, the laboratory procedures, the existence of an algorithm and its use for the dosemeter evaluation. In this study the evolution of the laboratories' performance throughout the programme, based on ISO 14146 acceptance criteria, is shown.

The lung counter facility of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) is presented. A calibration was carried out using the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) phantom. This phantom is provided with a pair of lungs and lymph nodes containing uranium homogeneously distributed and a set of four overlay plates covering a chest wall thickness (CWT) ranging from 1.638 to 3.871 cm. Individual organ calibration factors were acquired for 235U photopeaks energies and for each effective chest thickness. Using these factors, a collection of theoretical fitting curves were found. A counting efficiency formulae and a curve for simultaneously active lymph nodes and lung was obtained and checked through measures. Background measurements of the chamber with and without volunteer persons were performed in order to obtain the detection limits (DL) of the system. As this task involves the knowledge of the volunteers CWTs, these magnitudes were determined through formulae selected from the literature taking into account the detection system characteristics. The deviation in the CWT assigned to an individual, generated by applying different equations, produces variations up to 33% in the estimations of the incorporated activity and DL. An analysis of the changes in efficiencies as consequences of the detectors locations and CWT was also performed. This reveals that the DL of the camera (detectors, shield and blank phantom) is between 2.7 and 6.4 Bq of 235U, which implies 4.9 and 11.5 mg lung burden of natural uranium. An estimation of the minimum detectable intake performed with the DL considering blank persons shows that a system with the characteristics described is only adequate for non-routine individual monitoring.

Determination of gamma ray dose in mixed neutron+gamma ray fields is still a demanding task. Dosemeters used for gamma ray dosimetry are usually in some extent sensitive to neutrons and their response variations depend on neutron energy i.e., on neutron spectra. Besides, it is necessary to take into account the energy dependence of dosemeter responses to gamma rays. In this work, several types of thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) placed in different holders used for gamma ray dose determination in the mixed fields were examined. Dosemeters were from three different institutions: Ruder Bosković Institute (RBI), Croatia, JoZef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia and Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN), Argentina. All dosemeters were irradiated during the International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE Reactor, Valduc, June 2002. Three accidental scenarios were reproduced and in each irradiation the dosemeters were exposed placed on the front of phantom and 'free in air'. Following types of TLDs were used: 7LiF (TLD-700), CaF2:Mn and Al2O3:Mg,Y-all from RBI; CaF2:Mn from JSI and 7LiF (TLD-700) from ARN. Reported doses were compared with the reference values as well as with the values obtained from the results of all participants. The results show satisfactory agreement with other dosimetry systems used in the Intercomparison. The influence of different types of holders and applied corrections of dosemeters' readings are discussed.

In this work, a neutron spectrometric system based on a set of moderating spheres with thermoluminescence detectors (TLD) is presented. The system at the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) Dosimetry Laboratory consists of 12 solid spheres made of high-density polyethylene (p = 0.95 g x cm(-3)), with diameters ranging from 2" to 12" and TLD sensitive to thermal and gamma radiation, namely TLD-600 and TLD-700, located at the centre of the spheres. The neutron response matrix for this Bonner Sphere Spectrometer (BSS) was calculated using the MCNP-IVB code and the library ENDF/B-VI in the energy range between thermal neutrons and 100 MeV. The neutron spectrum was obtained using the LOUH182 unfolding code. The improvement in sensitivity of the system is based on the election of a different heating cycle of the TLD that allows an increase in sensitivity by a factor of 2.6 compared with the standard laboratory treatment. The system response for the calibration with an Am-Be source is presented.